Kentucky
KSR Staff Predictions: No. 9 Kentucky at Vanderbilt
After a brief break, Kentucky is back in action on the road in the SEC. The ninth-ranked Wildcats will travel to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. EST. One week ago, Kentucky fell at home to Alabama, while Vandy students stormed the court after upsetting No. 6 Tennessee. Will the Wildcats bounce back or will Mark Byington get his second Top 10 win of the season? The KSR crew weighs in.
Adam Luckett
Kentucky wants to play with tempo and shoot threes. Vanderbilt wants to play with tempo and shoot threes. Each team will spread the floor. You could say that this game is the Spiderman meme.
The Wildcats have a better roster. That should lead to a road victory.
New Vanderbilt head coach Mary Byington is going to want to push the pace and does not have much size in the frontcourt. That should give Mark Pope’s team some advantages. Expect a fun game at Memorial Gym with buckets coming in bunches.
Vanderbilt’s three-point defense (No. 268 nationally) has been bad all season and that will matter on Saturday. Kentucky wins the three-point volume battle and controls the game even if it gets a little tight down the stretch.
Score: Kentucky 90, Vanderbilt 85
Nick Roush
Part of me is worried that Memorial Magic has returned. Not only did the Commodores get the win over the Vols, they got a put-back with less than a second left to knock off South Carolina. Here’s the thing about that gym — Kentucky hasn’t lost there since 2011.
The teams that give Kentucky fits on the road in SEC play are the ones who like to slow it down and play a knock-down, drag-em-out style. Vandy wants to play just as fast as Kentucky. They want to shoot a lot of threes. If they hit a bunch, the Cats might be in trouble, but these are similar teams with very different levels of talent. Kentucky will just be too much for Vanderbilt to handle in a high-scoring affair.
Score: Kentucky 101, Vanderbilt 90
Zack Geoghegan
Vanderbilt’s only home loss this season came against No. 14 Mississippi State. The Commodores stunned No. 6 Tennessee 11 days later in Nashville. The magic in Memorial Gym might be back with first-year head coach Mark Byington exceeding expectations, but Mark Pope won’t let the arena’s aura impact his team. Vandy has dropped three of its last five SEC games.
Byington has his team playing smart basketball. The ‘Dores rarely turn the ball over and do an excellent job of forcing opponents into mistakes. They like to play fast the same way Kentucky does but don’t shoot as often or as efficiently from deep as the Wildcats. North Texas transfer guard Jason Edwards is going to get up plenty of shots. This is a transfer-heavy group that goes nine players deep. Both teams are coming off losses to Alabama. There are plenty of similarities to Pope’s first season.
The one major difference? Talent. Kentucky has more from top to bottom. AJ Hoggard is a solid veteran guard and Devin McGlockton is a rebounding fiend (8.2 RPG) at 6-foot-7, but UK can match them and then some. Keeping Vanderbilt to under 20 free throw attempts will be key. A full week off from games will have the ‘Cats healthy as they’ve been in weeks as they cruise to a feel-good road win.
Score: Kentucky 84, Vanderbilt 77
Tyler Thompson
After upsetting No. 6 Tennessee last week, Vandy will try to recreate more Memorial Magic vs. No. 9 Kentucky, but I feel good about the Cats’ chances coming off the midweek bye and with Big Blue Nation taking over Memorial. Blue always gets into Vandy, but with this game taking place on a Saturday and excitement high under Mark Pope, I’m expecting an especially loud and proud contingent of Kentucky fans in the funky old opera house.
The ‘Dores have been impressive this season and are in the conversation for the NCAA Tournament, but the Cats are fresh and will be eager to get the taste of the loss to Alabama out of their mouths. As my coworkers have said, both teams play a similar style, which should lead to a high-scoring game; in those scenarios, take the team with more talent, and that’s Kentucky.
Vanderbilt will make some runs and give its fans chances to get loud, but ultimately, the “Go Big Blue” chants will be louder. Kentucky wins, building some momentum heading into another Tennessee road trip next week.
Score: Kentucky 90, Vanderbilt 83
Jack Pilgrim
In my first trip to the Crow’s Nest, the goal is to kill any chance at Memorial Magic the Commodores hope to recreate after pulling off the upset win over Tennessee. Had they lost that in-state battle, I’d probably be a lot more nervous than I am — same vibes as the Alabama game. Just as the Crimson Tide played with heart and desperation looking to get back on track at Rupp Arena following a double-digit home loss, you’d rather Vanderbilt be coming off an emotional home upset that led to a court storming their last time in Nashville over a tough loss, hungry to make a statement.
Mark Byington is very good, constructing his debut roster from scratch following Jerry Stackhouse’s departure. It’s similar to Coach Pope’s takeover, tirelessly hitting the portal to find culture and system fits that work well together rather than the best individual talent. That’s led to the program’s best start in a decade and a half, undersized but plenty of positional versatility and skilled, and they’re probably going to the NCAA Tournament because of it.
Kentucky is a bigger, better, more talented version of that, though, and that’s going to be something Vanderbilt can’t overcome — even with a sold-out Memorial Gym working in its favor. It’s going to be a fun and entertaining game with a ton of points, maybe one that stays tight longer than one would hope, but the Wildcats will spread it out at the end and head home with a comfortable win.
Score: Kentucky 98, Vanderbilt 89
Drew Franklin
Memorial Gym has been hot lately, with two thrilling wins for Vanderbilt the last two times the Commodores played at home. However, the magic will wear off Saturday when Kentucky comes to town in a bounce-back opportunity for the Wildcats. Mark Pope’s first UK team has been good at those. Kentucky is 3-0 after a loss this season, with two top-15 wins in those three instances. I expect Pope has again collected the proper data, made the necessary adjustments, and said all of the right things to inspire his team to rebound again.
Jaxson Robinson is my predicted high scorer for the game. Robinson scored 27 points the last time he went on the road in the SEC, and I think that night in Starkville gave him the confidence to do it again. He’ll have 20+ in a Kentucky win in Memorial Gym.
Score: Kentucky 86, Vanderbilt 79
Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt: How to Watch, Listen
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Television: ESPN (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes)
- Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
- Online Radio: iHeart
- Satellite Radio: Sirius 160 or 191
- Live Stats: StatBroadcast
You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tip-off, or join the conversation on KSBoard.
Guest columnist: Feeding Kentucky’s retrospective on the shutdown
Published 12:00 am Monday, December 8, 2025
If Kentucky relied on its food banks alone, our feeding ecosystem would collapse in a week. That’s not a hyperbole, it’s simple math. Even the strongest food distribution network in the state can cover only a fraction of what the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides every month.
We talk a lot about the generosity of Kentuckians, especially in times of crisis. However, we need to start talking about scale. Feeding Kentucky’s seven food banks make up the commonwealth’s largest charitable response to hunger. And the truth is simple: our food banks were built to support, not replace, a federal nutrition program that provides nine times more meals.
Every day, our distribution sites move mountains of food, millions of pounds each month, to keep families from going without. That work is powered by donors, volunteers, and partners who step up when a crisis hits.
The 43-day federal shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, was an unplanned stress test of our hunger infrastructure, and the lesson was clear: when SNAP goes unfunded, families face hardship immediately and the strain on food banks becomes unsustainable.
This summer, Congress passed House Resolution 1, which includes long-term changes to SNAP’s funding model and adjusts how states share administrative costs.
Kentucky’s specific cost share will be announced in the coming weeks, giving the General Assembly the chance to plan in the next budget session. With thoughtful preparation, the state can ensure continued support for the 645,000 Kentuckians who rely on SNAP, helping stabilize families and strengthen our workforce.
According to Map the Meal Gap, more than 750,000 Kentuckians experience food insecurity, one in five children and one in eight seniors among them. These are not numbers. They are employees, students, parents, caregivers, and retirees.
And this is where the conversation must get honest: SNAP is not just a nutrition program. It is also an economic and workforce engine.
More than 95% of people who use SNAP are working, retired, or disabled. SNAP keeps families stable so adults can stay in the workforce. It helps seniors raising grandchildren keep food on the table. It helps small businesses retain reliable employees by reducing turnover. It supports Kentuckians who can no longer meet the physical demands of work. And it ensures students are fed, improving attendance, behavior, and long-term workforce readiness. We cannot build tomorrow’s workforce on empty stomachs.
These economic truths underscore the central point, that charity cannot replace the scale or the stabilizing power of SNAP.
Feeding Kentucky’s network provided about 63 million meals last year. That’s a remarkable achievement. But SNAP provides nearly $100 million in benefits in October alone, more than six times the combined monthly operating budgets of all seven food banks in the state.
Charitable food assistance plays a critical role in filling short-term gaps, but it was never designed to offset sweeping federal cuts. No donation drive, no holiday campaign, no emergency fund can replace the infrastructure or economic lift of SNAP.
Last month, the legislature and Governor’s office worked together to secure funding for the senior meals program, a bipartisan decision that protected vulnerable Kentuckians. We need that same commitment as SNAP’s state cost shift comes into view.
We need a strong, stable nutrition program that keeps folks employed, keeps kids learning, and keeps bellies full.
SNAP does all of that, every single day.
Now, it’s time to protect it.
Melissa McDonald is executive director of Feeding Kentucky. She can be emailed through Katherine Yochum at katherine@runswitchpr.com
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY – Winter came way too early to the Bluegrass State as Friday’s Kentucky high school football state championship games were played in the aftermath of some heavy snowfall and freezing temps. But the action on the University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field Friday wasn’t cold.
Here is a recap of those contests:
In the 1A matchup, Louisville’s Kentucky Country Day downed Raceland, 20-16, in a contest that featured a liberal dose of ground game in the first half. However, the pinnacle play occurred in the third quarter when Bearcat quarterback Caden Long aired out a pass over the top of the Raceland secondary to KCD receiver Miller Bates that placed the ball at the two-yard line.
Long subsequently dove for the score, increasing the Bearcat lead to 14-3. The Rams countered with two second-half touchdowns, but the pivotal drive of the contest came at the end of the fourth quarter, where KCD’s triple option moved the ball efficiently and capped the drive with a 25-yard TD run by slot Deion Davidson. Raceland responded with a determined drive but a stop on fourth and one by the KCD defense sealed the state title.
It was the first state championship for KCD, and an aging goal that finally came to fruition for the team’s seniors.
“This is a group of 19 seniors who set their goal to be state champions when they were in the fifth grade,” explained KCD coach Matt Jones in a post-game interview. “When they were in the eighth grade, they made us take them out of school for a day and bring them down here to watch a state game. So they would know what it felt like. I’ve never seen kids set goals, and seven years later, stay true and achieve those goals. These guys represent that.”
For the Rams and Coach Mike Salmons, it was his team’s fourth consecutive state title game loss. He credited KCD for its victory, but defeat brought some disappointment.
“Obviously, we’re really proud of who we are and what we’re able to do,” Salmons said in a post-game interview. “Just today, wasn’t our day…to get here is obviously outstanding, but our program is past getting here. We come here to get the gold, not the silver.”
In the second game of the championship triple feature, Lexington Christian prevailed, 33-28, over Owensboro Catholic in the 2025 UK Healthcare Sports Medicine State Football championship game.
Lexington Christian, led by first-year coach Oakley Watkins and quarterback Nash Whelan, earned its first championship since 2009. Whelan was 14-of-20 passing for 227 yards and two touchdowns.
The nightcap fell short of a grand finale and instead became a grand blowout, relatively speaking. Boyle County froze out Franklin County Friday night, 34-0, in the 4A final. It is the fifth state championship for Rebels since 2020.
Boyle County running back JiDyn Smith-Hisle rushed for 183 yards and two fourth-quarter TDs.
A beloved holiday tradition is back in Lexington. Southern Lights, presented by Friends of Coal, is celebrating its 32nd year at the Kentucky Horse Park. Enjoy more than one million twinkling lights and festive displays from the comfort of your vehicle. Visit the Holiday Village with photos with Santa Claus, Animal Land, model trains, and much more.
Drive through the lights nightly, November 28 through December 31, 2025, from 5:30-10:00 p.m. Tickets are $35 per carload and can be purchased online or at the gate. Buy tickets and get more information at Southern Lights – Kentucky Horse Park Foundation. Proceeds from Southern Lights benefit the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation.
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